Category: News

More Russian Antiwar

I recently wrote a post about the Russian antiwar movement (something the US is too indoctrinated to have)….since I am antiwar for the last 50 years I like to see people taking to the streets to protest….

I am updating the Russian antiwar news….

This Russian father is imprisoned because his daughter made an antiwar drawing….

There are both hopes and fears for a Russian dissident sentenced to two years in a penal colony after his daughter drew anti-war drawings at school, as he now appears to have fled house arrest and can’t be found. Aleksei Moskalyov, a single father from Yefremov, was separated from his daughter at the start of this month. He was placed under house arrest, while she was moved to a state-run orphanage and “forbidden to communicate with her father,” per the New York Times. Moskalyov came to the attention of police last April when Masha, now 13, “refused to participate in a patriotic class at her school,” reports the Guardian. She also drew an image of missiles being fired at a Ukrainian family, along with the words “No to war” and “Glory to Ukraine!,” per Reuters.

The next day, Moskalyov and Masha were “taken away from the school by police officers,” per the Times. “For three and a half hours they told me that I was providing inappropriate parenting for my child,” Moskalyov, 54, told OVD-Info. “They said she’d be taken away from me and I’d be put in jail.” He was initially fined. He’d allegedly described the Russian regime as “terrorists” and the Russian army as “rapists” on social media, per the Guardian. Months later, however, Moskalyov said authorities raided his home and detained him. “They locked me in a room for two and a half hours, turned on the Russian national anthem [at] full volume, and left,” he told OVD-Info.

Moskalyov was ultimately convicted of discrediting the armed forces and sentenced Tuesday to two years in a penal colony. But the Federal Penitentiary Service later said he’d removed his ankle monitor and fled his apartment shortly before 5am that day. Moskalyov’s lawyer couldn’t confirm that but said he last saw his client on Monday, per Reuters. Vowing to appeal the verdict, Vladimir Biliyenko appeared in court with new drawings from Masha, whom he’d visited in the orphanage. He also carried a photo of a letter she’d written to her father. “Dad, you are my hero,” it reads in part. Russian human rights group Memorial, which is banned from the country, says it considers Moskalyov to be a political prisoner. Police say they’re continuing to search for him.

Updated….the “heat” caught with this dad in Belarus….

Aleksei Moskalyov, an anti-war Russian father who fled house arrest hours before he was sentenced to two years in a penal colony Tuesday, has been arrested in Belarus, his lawyer says. Dmitry Zakhvatov tells Reuters that Moskalyov’s arrest in Minsk, more than 400 miles away from his hometown south of Moscow, was most likely the result of him turning his phone on and giving away his location. Earlier this month, the 54-year-old single father was separated from his 12-year-old daughter and reported to authorities after she drew anti-war drawings at school. He was convicted of discrediting the army after authorities found he had made anti-war remarks on social media. It’s not clear whether he will now face more charges.

Remember Pussy Riot?

One of the members has been in trouble with the Putin government for years and now one of the members is in deep dodo for her antiwar stance….

Russian authorities have put a member of the Pussy Riot punk group on a wanted list for criminal suspects as the Kremlin works to stifle political dissent. Russian news outlet Mediazona discovered an entry for Nadya Tolokonnikova in the Russian Interior Ministry’s database of wanted individuals on Wednesday. The entry, also reviewed by the AP, said Tolokonnikova faces criminal charges, but it didn’t specify what the charges are. Tolokonnikova became widely known for taking part in a 2012 Pussy Riot protest inside Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral. She spent nearly two years in prison.

Earlier this month Russia’s top human rights lawyer, Pavel Chikov, said a criminal case had been launched against Tolokonnikova on the charge of offending religious believers’ feelings, which became a criminal offense in Russia after the 2012 Pussy Riot protest. Tolokonnikova left Russia and reportedly lives in the US. In 2021, the Russian government designated her as a “foreign agent,” a label that brings additional government scrutiny and carries pejorative connotations that can discredit the recipients. Russian authorities have applied the designation to independent media outlets and opposition activists.

It is good to see people that are committed to ending war and not just whiners.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

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Lobbyist Money Well Spent

Recently the House had a brilliant idea….that is to find more oversight over the funds that is spent on continuing the war in Ukraine.

An idea that met with my approval (so that meant it would go nowhere) and now it looks like the buckets of cash from lobbyists has return a dividend.

The Senate on Tuesday night voted down an amendment to create a special inspector general to oversee the over $113 billion that the US has authorized to spend on the war in Ukraine.

The amendment, which was introduced by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), failed in a vote of 26-68, with 24 Republicans and only two Democrats voting in favor of more oversight for the billions in weapons that are being shipped to Ukraine.

Hawley tried to add the amendment to a bill to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Iraq Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMFs). The legislation to repeal the AUMFs is expected to be voted on sometime this week.

Hawley’s idea was to create a position for Ukraine similar to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which John Sopko has filled since 2012.

Sopko found tens of billions of dollars in waste in US aid to Afghanistan and issued scathing reports criticizing US policy in the country. Last month, Sopko said he fears the US will repeat the same mistakes in Ukraine.

“You’re bound to get corrupt elements of not only the Ukrainian or the host government, but also of US government contractors or other third party contractors to try to steal the money. There’s just so much money going in, and it’s hard to keep track of,” Sopko told reporters.

Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, Hawley wrote in an op-ed published by Fox News: “Billions upon billions of American dollars are pouring into a war-torn country without any serious oversight.”

Hawley has been critical of US policy in Ukraine because he thinks the US should be focusing on building up in the Asia Pacific to face China instead. In December, he sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the Biden administration to prioritize arming Taiwan over Ukraine.

(antiwar.com)

No one in the industry wants oversight.

Why should the American people know where their tax dollars are going and how it is spent?

Just another in a long list of oversight proposals that die an agonizing death.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

And Yet Another School Shooting

Seriously?

How many is that now?

There have been 398 children killed by gun violence….and yet there is very little public outcry (how sad is that?)….At least 57 people have died in 38 mass shootings in the U.S. so far this month, with another 133 injured.

The newest incident is in Nashville…..

The three students shot to death Monday at a private school in Nashville were all 9 years old, police said—two girls and a boy. Officials identified them as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, the Tennessean reports. The adult victims were Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; and Mike Hill, 61. Hill was a custodian, Koonce the Covenant School’s headmaster, and Peak a substitute teacher, investigators said. In an afternoon press conference, Police Chief John Drake said, “I was literally moved to tears to see this and the kids as they were being ushered out of the building.”

The six were killed by Audrey Hale, 28, a former student at the school, Drake said. Hale was killed by officers less than 15 minutes after the shooting began. Hale had no criminal history and obtained two of the three weapons used locally. In a search of a house later, police said they found a plan for the attack, including maps showing existing surveillance and points of entry, as well as a written screed. All entrances to the building were locked, per USA Today, and Hale got in by shooting a door. Police said Hale was a transgender man who used male pronouns, per the Tennessean.

What kind of POS does it take to want to shoot children?

The White House has had enough (don’t make me laugh)

“Enough is enough,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Monday’s briefing, hours after three children and three staff members were killed in a mass shooting at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville. “How many more children have to be murdered before Republicans in Congress will step up and act to pass the assault weapons ban, to close loopholes in our background check system, or to require the safe storage of guns?” she said, per the Washington Post. “We need to do something.” Police said the shooter, a 28-year-old woman armed with two assault rifles and a handgun, was shot dead by officers at the scene.

President Biden addressed the shooting during a small-business event at the White House, the New York Times reports. He called the shooting a “family’s worst nightmare” and urged Congress to pass gun control measures. “The shooter in this situation reportedly had two assault weapons and a pistol,” the president said. “So I call on Congress, again, to pass my assault weapons ban. It’s about time that we begin to make some progress.” “It’s ripping at the soul of this nation, ripping at the very soul of this nation,” Biden said of gun violence.

Jill Biden, speaking at a National League of Cities event in Washington, also condemned the Covenant School shooting, USA Today reports. “I am truly without words and our children deserve better,” the first lady said. “We stand, all of us, we stand with Nashville in prayer.”

Do you really think Biden and the Dems will do anything?

Do you really think Congress will step up?

Don’t make me laugh!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

A New NK Wrinkle

Keeping with the ‘nuke’ meme of the day.

We are always hearing about the the NK missiles and nuke tests and now there is a new wrinkle in the North Korean arsenal…..an underwater nuke drone……

North Korea claimed Friday to have tested a nuclear-capable underwater drone designed to generate a gigantic “radioactive tsunami” that would destroy naval strike groups and ports. Analysts were skeptical that the device presents a major new threat, but the test underlines the North’s commitment to raising nuclear threats, the AP reports. The testing of the purported “nuclear underwater attack drone” was part of a three-day exercise that simulated nuclear attacks on unspecified South Korean targets, which also included cruise missile launches on Wednesday. The tests came as the United States reportedly planned to deploy aircraft carrier strike groups and other advanced assets to waters off the Korean Peninsula.

Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said the new weapon, which can be deployed from the coast or towed by surface ships, is built to “stealthily infiltrate into operational waters and make a super-scale radioactive tsunami through an underwater explosion to destroy naval strike groups and major operational ports of the enemy.” The North Korean report came hours before South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged to make North Korea pay for its “reckless provocations” as he attended a remembrance service honoring 55 South Korean troops killed during major clashes with the North near their western sea border in past years.

KCNA said that the drills were supervised by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who condemned US-South Korean drills that finished Thursday as invasion rehearsals and vowed to make his rivals “plunge into despair.” The drone is named “Haeil,” a Korean word meaning tidal waves or tsunami. KCNA said the North’s latest tests were aimed at alerting the United States and South Korea of a brewing “nuclear crisis” as they continue with their “intentional, persistent and provocative war drills.” KCNA said North Korea’s latest drills verified the operational reliability of the drone, which it said the North has been developing since 2012 and tested more 50 times in the past two years, although the weapon was never mentioned in state media until Friday.

This ought to help fund more adventurism in the Korean Peninsula…..

This is worth a watch for future military commitments from the US.

Let’s see if this news gets as much attention as the Russian nukes in Belarus.  (Any bets?)

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Russian Nuke News Of The Day

The big news this weekend ought to get the jaws flapping and brains scrambled…..

Over the weekend news broke that Russia plans to re-position its nukes.

President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Russia will station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. The allies struck an agreement after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko raised the possibility, Putin told Russian state television, per the BBC. Russia will maintain control of the weapons, he said, likening the move to the US having weapons in Europe and saying it won’t break existing nonproliferation agreements. “The United States has been doing this for decades,” Putin was quoted as saying.

A storage site for the weapons, which are designed to be used in battle—unlike longer-range strategic nuclear weapons—will be built by July 1, Putin said, per Reuters. Putin has had Lukashenko’s support for the invasion of Ukraine, and Russia has used neighboring Belarus as a staging ground for deploying troops. Putin said this move is a response to Britain’s decision to ship Ukraine armor-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium, which Russia falsely claims have nuclear components, per the AP.

Again I think some will lose their minds over this news…..

Why would Putin do this move?

Putin also said the decision was related to the UK supplying Ukraine with depleted uranium rounds for its British-made Challenger 2 tanks. Depleted uranium ammunition is radioactive and is linked to cancer and birth defects, especially in Iraq, where US forces used an enormous number of the controversial munitions.

When will this happen…..if ever…..?

In response to the announcement, the US said it hasn’t seen any indication that Russia is planning to use nuclear weapons. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby also said the US hasn’t seen Russia move any nuclear weapons around yet.

But let me say this is no different than the US putting nukes in the UK and other sites….before I get some half brain thinking that I am a Putin fan let me state here and now….Putin is a barbaric tool the sooner he is gone the better….and the nukes…I am anti nuke as well as anti-war…..I do not think that we need the capabilities to destroy the earth several times over….we already do a fine job with conventional weapons.

Does that clear up any confusion?  (Probably not but I tried)

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

These Are The ‘Cleanest’

Continuing with my FYI Sunday….

My previous post I warned my readers about the ‘dirtiest’ fruits and veggies….today I want to show that not all our produce is ‘dirty’.

 

This is the list of the ‘cleanest’ produce in our local markets.

And, as a bit of a palate-cleanser, the group lists its “Clean 15” fruits and vegetables. In order of least to most contaminated:

  1. Avocados
  2. Sweet corn
  3. Pineapple
  4. Onions
  5. Papaya
  6. Frozen sweet peas
  7. Asparagus
  8. Honeydew melon
  9. Kiwi
  10. Cabbage
  11. Mushrooms
  12. Mangoes
  13. Sweet potatoes
  14. Watermelon
  15. Carrots

These may be considered ‘safe’ but I still suggest that you wash them thoroughly before preparing and consuming.

I hope that these two post were helpful in some small way….I do try to keep my readers abreast of health issues.

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

These Are The ‘Dirtiest’

A little FYI for your Sunday.

In these days when most people are concerned with the food they eat I feel I need to help them out as much as possible.

When you grow to the store to buy your fresh fruits and veggies this list i a good one to have with you.

These are the ‘dirtiest’ fruits and veggies….

Mama (and the US government) always said to eat your fruits and veggies, but nowhere in that conventional wisdom was there anything about getting your daily allotment of pesticides. Yet, as CNN reports, that’s exactly what some of us are inadvertently doing. The nonprofit Environmental Working Group rounds up a list of the “Dirty Dozen” most contaminated nonorganic fruits and veggies, according to the group’s testing after washing the produce in a way normal Americans might. And sorry, blueberry lovers: Your blue gold has found its way onto the 2023 list. In order of most to least contaminated:

  1. Strawberries
  2. Spinach
  3. Kale, collard greens, mustard greens
  4. Peaches
  5. Pears
  6. Nectarines
  7. Apples
  8. Grapes
  9. Bell and hot peppers
  10. Cherries
  11. Blueberries
  12. Green beans

This produce needs to be thoroughly cleaned before then are consumed.

So are all our fruits and veggies the ‘dirtiest’?

No they are not….

Tune in tomorrow for the cleanest fruits and veggies.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Another Saturday News Dump

The weekend and time for all the news that you probably did not hear, see or read….

There was the usual Ukraine, China, Russia, Trump Blah, blah, blah…..and sadly the unusual news was just as boring….sorry about that.

College students build a cheap satellite…..

It costs a lot of money to get a satellite into orbit onboard a rocket—around $50 million minimum, to be more specific. While this massively restricts who can access the space industry, it’s not all bad.  According to NASA, there are approximately 27,000 hunks of space junk orbiting high above humans’ heads at the moment, with an average of 25 years before they fall from orbit and burn away upon atmospheric reentry.

Still, lowering costs while also shortening satellite lifespans is important if space exploration and utilization is to remain safe and viable. As luck would have it, a group of students and researchers at Brown University just made promising headway for both issues.

College students built a satellite with AA batteries and a $20 microprocessor

We all have heard of the ‘lost continent’ of Atlantis, right?

Ever heard of Lemuria?

In the 19th century, a rumor circulated in the scientific world that a “lost continent” was laying undiscovered at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. They named it Lemuria as their misguided efforts were driven by some very confusing lemurs.

The idea is largely credited to British zoologist Philip Lutley Sclater who wrote a paper titled “The Mammals of Madagascar” in 1864, published in the Quarterly Journal of Science. Sclater explained that lemur fossils could be found in Madagascar and India, but not in Africa or the Middle East, suggesting that Madagascar and India were once been part of a larger continent that’s since gone missing in the Indian Ocean.

Sclater wasn’t alone in his dreams of Lemuria and a number of other prominent European scientists jumped on the bandwagon. 

In 1868, German biologist Ernst Haeckel published “The History of Creation,” in which he argued the origin of humanity was to be found in Asia, not Africa as Charles Darwin correctly stated, and that humans were closely related to the primates of Southeast Asia. 

 

The “missing link, ” he believed, could be found on the long-lost landmass of Lemuria. Acting as a continental superhighway between India and Africa, Lemuria could explain how humans migrated to the rest of the world, at least in his mind. 

That’s right: according to Haeckel, we are descended from lemurs and the remains of some strange lemur-human hybrids are likely to be lurking in the Indian Ocean on a long-lost continent.

https://www.iflscience.com/the-bizarre-tale-of-lemuria-a-long-lost-continent-inspired-by-lemurs-68041

The whole ‘plant- based’ stuff has become a marketing ploy, a trend if you will, but mjust how ‘good’ is the diets?

People often adjust their diets to keep themselves healthy—but what about changing what we eat for the health of the planet? It appears that some popular meal plans, such as ketogenic and Paleolithic diets, aren’t very good for Earth or for your wellness, according to a recent study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked into the environmental impact and nutrition quality of food commodities.

Our food choices can have major consequences: What we eat contributes about a third of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally, when accounting for agriculture and land use, supply chain, and our dietary habits. Given food’s huge impact on climate change, it’s important that dietary patterns become more sustainable. This begins with identifying the food choices that are environmentally friendly, which is exactly what the study sought to find out.

“Given that many people are experimenting with different diets, it’s helpful to have a sense of the differences in their impacts,” says Diego Rose, study author and director of nutrition at Tulane University. “What individuals choose to eat sends signals to producers about what to produce, so individual behaviors can affect what gets produced and thus the impacts from our overall food production.”

Paleo and keto diets aren’t great for you or the planet, study says

Now that I have bored you guys to tears….you can go out and enjoy your Saturday without the worry of the crap I have passed on.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–22Mar23

This state senator has never met a hungry person….ergo there are no hunger issues.

It’s not clear exactly how many Minnesotans state Sen. Steve Drazkowski has met in his lifetime or during his 16 years in politics, but they have apparently all fallen into one category: well-fed. “I have yet to meet a person in Minnesota that is hungry,” the Republican said Tuesday prior to a vote on providing free school meals for all K-12 students. “I have yet to meet a person in Minnesota that says they don’t have access to enough food to eat.”

  • He followed it up with a joke: “Now, I should say that hunger is a relative term. I had a cereal bar for breakfast. I guess I’m hungry now.”
  • About the bill: HF 5 passed 38-26 and is expected to get Gov. Tim Walz’s signature, per NBC News.
  • Food stat I: Per a tweet from state Sen. Heather Gustafson, who authored the bill: “1 in 5 students in Sen. Drazkowski’s district qualifies for free and reduced lunch.”
  • Food stat II: Business Insider cites Feeding America’s count that roughly 340,000 Minnesotans are facing hunger, nearly a third of them children.
  • Food stat III: The nonprofit Hunger Solutions Minnesota says food pantries in the state logged 5.5 million visits in 2022, a record high, reports the Washington Post.
  • Less charged criticism: Per the Post, other critics of the bill didn’t dismiss food insecurity issues but said the bill’s $200 million annual cost would be better spent on other educational needs, such as special education, mental health support, and maintenance.

I love these guys….they sit on their high horse so everybody is as fortunate as they.

Call it lack of empathy, compassion whatever….the idiots open mouths and fire it off before brain is loaded.

At what point do these d/bags take off the blinders and see what is around them?

Just wondering.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Disturbing News About The 06 January Riot

Slowly but slowly some of the defendants are getting their time in jail and others are getting fined….all that is good news but some of the news is disturbing on another front.

You know how the Dems are going on about the protest and yet not all Dems think it was a bad idea.

More than a quarter of Republicans now approve of the Capitol riot, according to a new poll—and, puzzlingly, almost a fifth of Democrats agree. “Do you approve or disapprove of the Trump supporters taking over the Capitol building in Washington, DC on January 6th, 2021 to stop Congressional proceedings?” the Economist/YouGov poll asked 1,500 American adults, Some 27% of Republicans, and 19% of Democrats, said they either “strongly” or “somewhat” approve. The poll also found that 54% of Republicans believe “people participated in a legitimate public discourse” on Jan. 6, compared to 21% of Democrats, the Hill reports.

Some 71% of Democrats, and 27% of Republicans thought “people participated in a violent insurrection” was a more fitting description of the day’s events. Among Democrats, 90% thought former President Trump had at least some responsibility for the riot, while 43% of Republicans—and 52% of Trump supporters—thought he had none whatsoever. The poll also found that 42% of Americans, including 61% of Republicans, approved of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision to release tens of thousands of hours of Jan. 6 footage to Tucker Carlson, the Guardian reports.

More result from the poll….Biden, Ukraine, etc….

The poll was taken between March 11 and March 14. Some 34% of respondents, including 63% of Republicans, said they wanted Trump to run for president in 2024. Only 26%, including 45% of Democrats, wanted President Biden to seek a second term. The numerous other issues pollsters addressed included aid for Ukraine. Some 77% supported sending the country food and medical assistance, 53% supporting sending tanks, 44% were in favor of sending fighter jets, and 26% were in favor of sending US troops.

These results are very disturbing….19% of the Dems agreed with 06 January riot….seriously?

Those are not Dems they are probably so-called ‘centrist’ that think the center is the place to be.

I have been saying that Dens were not much better than the GOP….this does not change my mind in the least.

Does anyone else see a disturbing issue here?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”